Pop, alternative, and glam rock updated with a vibrant spirit of celebration: A salvo of hook heavy singles, stylized videos, and ambitious cross-country touring introduces The Dirty Shirts, an exuberant new band from Dallas, Texas.
Debuting in 2021, The Dirty Shirts showcased at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland before releasing their first full-length, The Get Up From The Get Go, in 2022. National radio airplay for singles “Detonator” and “Please Me” (feat. Remy Reilly), served as an engaging introduction to an indelible musical signature as the band played for expanding Pittsburgh, New York, and Nashville audiences, and circling home to headline Texas shows.
“HEART ATTACK,” the new lead single, presents front man Nick Santa Maria’s falsetto vocals against a chiming backdrop of celestial bells before The Dirty Shirts come clean with their propulsive brand of “dance floor rock and roll.” With timeless Bowie and Bolan Seventies influences recast in the present tense for fans of Gorillaz, Foals, and The Weeknd, The Dirty Shirts are a formidable, hard-hitting live aggregation with Nick joined by a cast of Dallas’ best musicians.
Respondent with black leather cool and sequined swagger, Nick Santa Maria characterizes charisma and empathy behind dark glasses. The fashion-forward sensibility is a shimmering thread in The Dirty Shirts presentation, an update of glam rock infused with a contemporary sonic sheen that mirrors the music, described by KXT radio as “…sweaty hedonism in the smoky haze of last call.” Videos spotlight the band onstage in a variety of settings; at Rockwood Music Hall and Rocka Rolla in New York City, Modern Electric Sound Recorders in Dallas; against a book lined wall, and with cocktails in hand at a well-stocked bar.
Nick Santa Maria was touring steadily as a sideman for country artists when the pandemic pulled the plug. Off the road, he began envisioning a band to encompass his love of rock. “Throwing influences at the wall – Oasis, The Rolling Stones, The Strokes – and developing the style from there.” Narratives are essential; Nick’s thoughtful and complex word play reflects his literacy and love of language. “Most of my lyrics are autobiographical, not directly, but in some raw emotional form,” he says. “My themes often express the duality of feeling two different things from one emotional situation and how to deal with that.”
Collaborating with the accomplished Dallas creative community of artists, curators, and tastemakers is vital to the totality of The Dirty Shirts’ evolving aesthetic. Bedazzling hues illustrate “Shake” – The Animated Video” with an inspired team of local creators. “People who are not only making the music, but are around the music,” Nick says of his hometown contemporaries. “There is something special about Dallas, the overarching artistic scene, but especially the music.”
While Nick is proud of the band’s debut -- his first ever experience behind the board, co-producing with three-time Grammy award winner Tre Nagella -- he avows that the new songs feel more cohesive and complete. “I’ve grown as a person and a songwriter. I believe that the greatest end results come from collaboration. It feels a lot less of me – I hear our producer’s influence and the band’s contributions, and it makes for better songs.
Tracking with co-producer Jeff Saenz, and managed by ZeroZero Music Group, at this juncture, Dirty Shirts are more than ready to rock. “My favorite thing about playing live and making records is the connection between us and the audience,” says Nick. “It might sound cliché, but it’s a family thing. We are new, still figuring it out, and we want our audience to join us on this journey. We live in crazy times. I want our listeners to know that whatever else is going on, they have us.”
Debuting in 2021, The Dirty Shirts showcased at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland before releasing their first full-length, The Get Up From The Get Go, in 2022. National radio airplay for singles “Detonator” and “Please Me” (feat. Remy Reilly), served as an engaging introduction to an indelible musical signature as the band played for expanding Pittsburgh, New York, and Nashville audiences, and circling home to headline Texas shows.
“HEART ATTACK,” the new lead single, presents front man Nick Santa Maria’s falsetto vocals against a chiming backdrop of celestial bells before The Dirty Shirts come clean with their propulsive brand of “dance floor rock and roll.” With timeless Bowie and Bolan Seventies influences recast in the present tense for fans of Gorillaz, Foals, and The Weeknd, The Dirty Shirts are a formidable, hard-hitting live aggregation with Nick joined by a cast of Dallas’ best musicians.
Respondent with black leather cool and sequined swagger, Nick Santa Maria characterizes charisma and empathy behind dark glasses. The fashion-forward sensibility is a shimmering thread in The Dirty Shirts presentation, an update of glam rock infused with a contemporary sonic sheen that mirrors the music, described by KXT radio as “…sweaty hedonism in the smoky haze of last call.” Videos spotlight the band onstage in a variety of settings; at Rockwood Music Hall and Rocka Rolla in New York City, Modern Electric Sound Recorders in Dallas; against a book lined wall, and with cocktails in hand at a well-stocked bar.
Nick Santa Maria was touring steadily as a sideman for country artists when the pandemic pulled the plug. Off the road, he began envisioning a band to encompass his love of rock. “Throwing influences at the wall – Oasis, The Rolling Stones, The Strokes – and developing the style from there.” Narratives are essential; Nick’s thoughtful and complex word play reflects his literacy and love of language. “Most of my lyrics are autobiographical, not directly, but in some raw emotional form,” he says. “My themes often express the duality of feeling two different things from one emotional situation and how to deal with that.”
Collaborating with the accomplished Dallas creative community of artists, curators, and tastemakers is vital to the totality of The Dirty Shirts’ evolving aesthetic. Bedazzling hues illustrate “Shake” – The Animated Video” with an inspired team of local creators. “People who are not only making the music, but are around the music,” Nick says of his hometown contemporaries. “There is something special about Dallas, the overarching artistic scene, but especially the music.”
While Nick is proud of the band’s debut -- his first ever experience behind the board, co-producing with three-time Grammy award winner Tre Nagella -- he avows that the new songs feel more cohesive and complete. “I’ve grown as a person and a songwriter. I believe that the greatest end results come from collaboration. It feels a lot less of me – I hear our producer’s influence and the band’s contributions, and it makes for better songs.
Tracking with co-producer Jeff Saenz, and managed by ZeroZero Music Group, at this juncture, Dirty Shirts are more than ready to rock. “My favorite thing about playing live and making records is the connection between us and the audience,” says Nick. “It might sound cliché, but it’s a family thing. We are new, still figuring it out, and we want our audience to join us on this journey. We live in crazy times. I want our listeners to know that whatever else is going on, they have us.”